A Weekend for 2 Nations to Celebrate

Blazes raging in Canadian forest send clouds hundreds of miles

(NEWSER) - Massive clouds of smoke from forest fires raging in Quebec have moved south and east across New England, screening the holiday-weekend sun throughout the region. "I just walked to the beach in Sandwich where you can usually see white cliffs in Plymouth, the Sagamore Bridge and sometimes the Provincetown Monument," a Cape Cod resident told WBZ , the CBS affiliate in Boston. "Can't see any of them today." More»

Rescuers find bodies of Quebec family of 4

(NEWSER) - A Quebec family of four was killed yesterday when a gigantic sinkhole triggered by a landslide swallowed their home as they watched TV. Rescuers in their small village east of Montreal spent 24 hours digging frantically before finding the bodies of Richard Préfontaines, his wife, and their two daughters, aged 9 and 11. The family appears to have been caught completely off guard when the earth gave way, officials tell the Montreal Gazette. More»

(NEWSER) - Doctors in Quebec, where Natasha Richardson took her fatal ski-slope tumble, have been arguing since the 1990s for emergency air transport that might have saved her life, CNN reports. Care was delayed not only by the slow manifestation of symptoms from the epidural hematoma she suffered, but also by the lack of helicopter transport. She did not arrive at a qualified hospital until 6 hours after the accident. More»

Assassin took out rival gang members during Quebec's biker wars

(NEWSER) - A Canadian contract killer confessed yesterday to murdering 27 people during Quebec's biker wars, reports the Toronto Star. Gerald Gallant turned police informant after receiving a life sentence in 2001 for yet another murder. The biker, 58, received no extra time for his confession and will be eligible for parole in 25 years. Police acting on Gallant's tips arrested 11 people across Quebec last week. He was paid up to $20,000 for the killings, which included bystanders near his targets. More»

Once-moribund party's victory revives talk of breakup of Canada

(NEWSER) - Voters in Quebec gave a small majority to the Liberal Party last night, providing premier Jean Charest with his third election victory. But the big winner of last night's vote, reports the Gazette of Montreal, was the Parti Québécois—which advocates an independent Quebec. Once written off for dead, the separatist party defied polling predictions and revived the possibility of a break-up of Canada. More»